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“Roll call!”

“Yes!”
“Yeah.”
“……Zzz……”
“Hey! No sleeping, Stell. Now, is everyone ready?”

The group had relocated to the guild’s training grounds. Present were the three including Momo, along with the Saint with a suspicious smile on her face.

I felt gloomy despite the cloudless sky outside. I had to train these three as their mentor.

“Master, what should I do first!?”
“Your arm needs to be treated first. Have the Saint take a look.”
“Understood! Please, Ms. Roche!”
“Alright, come this way.”

Momo, the most energetic of the group, was in the least resilient condition. The amount of magic power within her was also less than that of a child. She’d need a mix of treatment and basic training with moderate strain for a while.

And it wasn’t just Momo who needed treatment; Stell did too. Although her condition, Magic Crystallization Syndrome, wasn’t life-threatening, assassins targeting her could appear at any moment. She needed to be capable of defending herself to some extent.

Lastly, there was Nova Foerg, awaiting final judgment from Astraea…

“Hey boss, what about me?”
“Stop calling me that. You’re the bandit boss. And what happened to those subordinates who admired you so much?”
“They’re in the cells. Their crimes aren’t as severe as mine. Once I sort out my problems, I plan to get them out.”
“Alright, do your best if you want to see them again.”

Honestly, Nova’s basics were solid, and his talent for magecraft wasn’t bad either. Compared to the other two, he was on a different level. Training him alongside them would be challenging due to the disparity.

I didn’t have the luxury of time to leisurely instruct while looking after Stell… If I aimed for a significant improvement in a short period, that method would be the best option.

“Nova Foerg, create a fireball. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make it bigger than your palm.”
“Huh? Yeah, I can do that…”

As he spoke, Nova conjured a fireball without incantation. His generation speed was decent, showing promising talent.

The fireball’s shape was adequate. Though there were slight flickers in the flame, he maintained a stable sphere. Controlling magic power to keep this size for long was difficult without skill.

“So, what do I do with this? Just keep it like this?”
“Compress it. Use the same technique as for First Wind. If you can get it to the size of a coin, you pass.”
“C-Compress…?”

In response to his question, I generated a fireball larger than my head and then compressed it to the size of a fingertip, demonstrating the technique.

This exercise involved concentrating low-density magic power into a single point. Mastering this would allow for more efficient and powerful spells with less magic power.

I didn’t know what trials Astraea would impose, but being able to do this was essential.

“…How long do I have?”
“I’d like it done by this afternoon, but since it’s the first day, I’ll give you until tomorrow.”
“There’s no way I can do that!”
“Teach… you’re cruel…”
“You’ll be fine. Even I managed it in three days. You should be able to manage in one.”

Memories of my own harsh training with my good-for-nothing master resurfaced. I remembered being submerged in the deep sea, forced to compress air or face suffocation. Compared to that, this was an easy task. I was far from being as merciless as my master had been.

“Alright, let’s get to it. I’ll be interrupting you sporadically, so keep going while dealing with the distractions. And don’t worry, even if you get hit, the Saint is here.”
“Yes, I’ll heal you no matter what, as long as your head is intact.”
“I’m going to die! I don’t want to die but I’ll get killed!”
“You won’t die. I didn’t, did I? Now, let’s move on to Stell.”
“……Sss……”

With my attention diverted for just a moment, she had already drifted off to sleep.

It wasn’t due to a lack of sleep, nor was she being irresponsible. Magic Crystallization Syndrome disrupted her magic power circulation, causing her to unconsciously expend extra energy.

Her condition was more severe than I’d thought. It must have been quite a burden for her, necessitating serious treatment.

“Master, can’t we cure Stell’s illness with magic?”
“No, we can’t. Magic power blockage isn’t like a wound or illness. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the magic power itself.”
“Exactly. Even with the miracles of Lord Ascles, the most we can do is temporarily alleviate it.”
“If Ms.Roche says it’s not feasible, it must be. So, Master, what’s your plan?”
“It’s simple. If her magic power is blocked, we need to dissolve it from the inside.”

I took Stell’s hand and gently infused my magic power into her.

The goal was to teach her body to recognize the flow of magic power while using mine to dissolve the blockage. Rushing this would cause a rejection and potentially a dangerous outburst.

So, I proceeded slowly, infusing small amounts at a time. The worst-case scenario would be a blown-off arm, which the Saint could heal, but I wanted to spare her such a harsh experience at her age.

“Wow… Mr. Nova, what is Master doing?”
“It’s a trick you need to have several screws loose in the head to attempt… If her magic power wavers even slightly, both of them will get bl—GAH!”
“Mr. Nova!?”
“Thank you for your concern, but you mustn’t neglect your own training.”

Without looking back, I knew my air bullet had hit the foolish bandit squarely. But Stell’s condition was the priority. As expected, it was quite deep-rooted. If this had developed naturally, it wouldn’t be this severe at her age.

It seemed likely that her Magic Crystallization Syndrome was induced by someone.

“… Hey Saint, do you know any skilled pharmacist?”
“No, our focus is on healing through magic.”
“Thought so. Then I’ll need to gather the materials myself… Momo!”
“Yes, what is it?”

“I have an errand this afternoon. Your treatment won’t be completed in a day, so I need you to disrupt him in my place.”
“What?”
“Leave it to me! I’ll do my best in your place! Ms. Roche, please handle the aftermath!”
“Just avoid aiming for the head. I can heal anything else that’s not fatal.”
“Huuuuuh?!”

With this arrangement, I could step away in the afternoon. I hope it will serve as a good outlet for Momo’s excess energy too.

I headed toward the Umravolf estate. There were countless questions I needed to ask Stell’s mother regarding her condition. Ideally, I wanted to finish my business quickly, but I wondered if Nova Foerg would still be in one piece by the time I returned.